This invention relates to the coating of glass and in particular to a method for the coating of glass with silicon, and to silicon-coated glass, in particular flat glass having a uniform coating comprising elemental silicon on one or both surfaces. The invention further relates to apparatus for coating glass constructed to supply coating material in gaseous form to the vicinity of a glass surface to be coated.
A variety of coating materials have been used or have been proposed for modifying the radiation transmission and reflection characteristics of glass, for enhancing the appearance of glass, or for providing decorative patterns on a glass surface. Such coatings often serve more than one purpose. For example, metal oxide coatings and vacuum-evaporated metal coatings have been used to endow glass with solar control properties while at the same time giving the glass an attractive hue.
It is known that silanes decompose on heating to produce silicon. Thus silanes have been used as a source for the production of silicon for use in electro-conductive devices.
It is a main object of the present invention to provide a coating for glass which can be applied economically, has good solar control properties, and a pleasing appearance, to add to the range of solar control coated glass already available, particularly for window glazing applications.
The invention is based on the discovery that a silicon coating can be formed on a hot glass surface, for example on a continuous ribbon of hot glass, by an economical process which provides a durable and uniform coating with desirable solar control properties and a pleasing and uniform appearance.